2015 Pop Culture Year-End Review

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Per the usual, it was certainly a dramatic year in pop culture and entertainment. From the amazing, to the tragic to the WTF…this year had it all. It would take forever to list all the things that wowed, amused, annoyed or just plain baffled me. And so, in the spirit of being more positive in 2016 (yeah, we’ll see how long that lasts…), I decided to focus on the 10 moments/events, etc. in entertainment, I loved the most this year.

Adele 25 – We had to wait almost four years, but it was well worth the wait. After taking some time away from the spotlight in the wake of her astonishing success with the album 21, Adele returned this year, picking up right where she left off by delivering an album of heartbreaking, soaring ballads and gut wrenching honest emotion. I have certainly made no secret of my Adele-love, so this one should come as no surprise. And just to be clear, this is not about jumping on a bandwagon. I have been a fan of Adele’s ever since I randomly stumbled on the video for her song Chasing Pavements and that love was cemented when I heard Hometown Glory and saw her perform To Feel My Love live. And I will continue to be a fan as long as she delivers such tender and heartfelt honesty in her music.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part II – I know the reviews were mixed and many fans (especially non-book readers) were not too happy with this film. However, as a fan of the book series, I thought the film was a fitting end to the franchise. Could some things have been better, of course; which is often the case with any film adaptation. However, as she has done since the first film, I thought Jennifer Lawrence was perfect in her portrayal of Katniss. She was helped by a strong and impressive supporting cast. As always, Liam Hemsworth remained uneventful but at least he wasn’t “ruin the movie” awful. He was more or less just bland and uninteresting.  Donald Sutherland’s portrayal of President Snow remained absolute perfection, as was Elizabeth Banks who made Effie such a scene stealing character that they kept her around longer in the movies than she actually was in the books. And of course, Woody Harrelson and Josh Hutcherson, who while the writing may not have always been there for the latter, did great with what he was given. So a great franchise that I’m sure I’ll get the box set when it’s released.

The Affair: Season 2 – Like The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, this was a little divisive. A lot of the critics have been less than thrilled with the direction the season took and to be honest, I’m not sure I am completely in love with the season finale, especially the reveal of how Scotty Lockhart really died. But that said, looking back on the season as a whole, there was a lot I did love and enjoyed about it and I found it as compelling, if not more so, than the first season. I will note that it probably helped that I have never really cared for the show’s lead characters, Alison and Noah, especially the latter. Therefore they weren’t really ruined for me this season, which is a problem many had with the season, because I already thought they were plenty awful in the first place. In my opinion, Noah continued being a selfish, self-centered jerk and Alison a whiny bore who did very well at playing the victim even when she wasn’t. The whole season felt for me like the ending of Descent (Noah’s fictional bestseller he wrote based on his affair with Alison), coming to fruition. That is, the man realizing that this woman he blew up his family and life for wasn’t who he thought she was and wasn’t worth it and in the end, in a fit of anger and bitterness, he kills her. I don’t think the killing Alison part will happen but I have a feeling the show will end on Noah’s original ending for the book – that is, the couple sitting down quietly to dinner with this big secret between them. Basically in my opinion, I see The Affair as a tragedy. It isn’t a love story but a Shakespearean or Greek tragedy of how one decision, one choice, can tragically change the course of so many lives. And that is what made the season so compelling.

Survivor: Season 31 – Survivor had a milestone season this year – the show about outwitting, outplaying and outlasting, turned 30. Unfortunately, the landmark season turned out to be VERY dull and uninspiring. The only semi-interesting aspect to the whole season was watching Mike immunity win his way to the final tribal council and ultimately the win. Especially as this REALLY annoyed and stuck in Dan’s craw. But aside from that, it was a season of jerks, little strategic play and uninspiring tribal councils. Not so for Season 31 which, for the first time in the show’s history, saw of cast of players who had played once before, voted to play again by the viewers of the show. Many of the cast members viewed the second chance as a huge gift, particularly because the fans voted them in and were determined to make the most of it. Season 31 turned out be one of the most unpredictable and exciting seasons in years – blindside after blindside, awesome immunity idol plays, you never knew who was really aligned with whom, etc. In the end, nice guy Jeremy who was completely blindsided by his alliance in his original season, took home the million in a complete sweep. I will admit that much as I liked Jeremy and was happy for his win, I was sad for Spencer who I really came to like in his original season. It wasn’t just that he lost, but that he lost because he completely missed Jeremy’s obviously being a huge threat, the jury eviscerated him and his character and he just looked so sad and disappointed at the reunion show. Still, a great season that hopefully Season 32 can live up to.

Jon Stewart’s Final Daily Show Season – After 16 years at the helm, Jon Stewart signed off from The Daily Show this year in perfect fashion. He remained consistently funny and insightful, with brilliant biting wit and sarcasm. I shared my feelings on what the show and Jon Stewart meant to me personally after his last episode and while Trevor Noah has acquitted himself well enough as Stewart’s replacement, the sting of the loss is still being felt and likely will for a little while longer. But after almost two decades, I understood Jon’s desire to leave and move on to something else. After all, as the old adage goes, “best to leave before they kick you out.”

Katy Perry’s Superbowl Half-Time Show – I am not the biggest fan of Katy Perry’s. In fact, there are really only a handful of her songs that I truly love. That said, while this was certainly not my favorite halftime show of all time (that honor still belongs to Prince), I think she did a pretty damn good job. The inclusion of Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliot, who probably both seemed random when first announced, was a stroke of genius; particularly Missy’s appearance which helped rejuvenate the hip hop star’s career and remind so many of just how awesome she is. You can check out my original review of the performance here.

Mr. Robot: Episode 6 – If you aren’t watching USA’s Mr. Robot, you need to. The show is a dark, twisted, complex and mind-bending ball of crazy that makes you feel like you’re on a never-ending acid trip. And it is freaking fantastic. At the core of the show’s success is the brilliantly understated performance by the enigmatic Rami Malek, who plays lead character Eliot Alderson. If you’ve read my most recent blog post, you probably know how thrilled I am at all the award show love he and the show have gotten. While the entire season is amazing, if I would suggest one episode that encapsulates the dark and disturbing brilliance of the show perfectly, and where Malek just absolutely shines from beginning to end, it would be Episode 6. Racing against the clock to help a very dangerous criminal, whose associates are holding his neighbor and sometimes love interest hostage, escape from prison, Malek expertly delivers a range of emotion, from fear, panic and gut-wrenching sadness with a quiet subtlety and grace that’s just mesmerizing to watch.

Bates Motel: Season 3 – If you have ever watched the classic horror film Psycho or at the least heard about the plot, you probably already know how completely bat-shit crazy Norman Bates is. Bates Motel, the criminally under-appreciated A&E drama is a prequel that tells the story of who Norman Bates was before he became completely bat-shit crazy and murdered Marion Crane, while dressed as his dead mother. In other words, we’re already spoiled as to where the show is going and essentially have just been waiting for that big moment. The moment where Norman and Mother truly start to become one. Season 3 of the show, which aired earlier this year, finally delivered that moment. Played to absolute perfection by Freddie Highmore (seriously, that he has never even been nominated for this role is beyond absurd), the season saw the continued inevitable decline of Norman’s mental state as he fell deeper and deeper into his psychosis. It all culminated in the brutal murder of the emotionally lost Bradley by the hands of Norman as “Mother.” It was one of the most disturbing, horrific and spellbinding scenes I saw on television this year.

Kendrick Lamar’s Alright – Kendrick Lamar escaped the dreaded sophomore slump in absolutely brilliant fashion. Coming on the heels of his critically acclaimed good kid, m.A.A.d city, Lamar delivered one of, if not the best album of the year, To Pimp A Butterfly. Picking up where he left off on good kid, m.A.A.d city, the album is chock full of powerful messages and truths about the plight of the young African American male, inner city youth, white supremacy, the struggle to find and identify oneself, etc. And while many songs are powerful on their own, probably the stand out moment comes from the song Alright, which became a rallying cry for the #blacklivesmatter movement. It would be naïve to not see and understand why this song is currently as important and powerful as it is, with all that’s going around the U.S., particularly in regards to police brutality against African Americans. Certainly a powerful song in general but the added weight of the current socio-political climate makes it one of the most important songs in decades and a rallying cry for so many.

Top 5 Fashion Moments – If you’ve been reading my blog often or even occasionally, you know I’m always here for fashion and some great fashion moments. So I would be remiss to not include some type of fashion list in my review of my favorite pop culture moments of the year. And here they are:

Rihanna – Met Ball Gala

It was the dress that spawned hundreds of memes and sure, we can go on for days with the jokes about her looking like a human omelet. But as I noted in my recap about this year’s Gala, it is a costume ball for crying out loud. It is probably the one time celebrities should embrace the bold and daring and take crazy risks and just have fun. And I feel like Rihanna totally got that.

Diane Kruger – Venice International Film Festival

Some did not love the big bow on the side but I have to say, from the moment I saw this look, I fell in love with it. There is something just so timeless and classic yet bold about it.

Cate Blanchett – Cannes Film Festival 

This look just screams movie star and red carpet. I loved the bold print, the drama and simultaneously, the whimsical and softness of it. This is a movie star’s dress and Cate Blanchett who carries herself in such a regal and classic manner, was the perfect one to carry it off.

Lupita Nyong’o – Cannes Film Festival

After an amazing debut season on the red carpet on her way to winning her first Academy Award, things seemed to go VERY wrong with Lupita on the fashion front. I really started to believe her previous red carpet moments had merely been a stroke of luck. So thank goodness for this gorgeous green Grecian moment. Not only was the dress stunning but it matched her skin tone beautifully and she wore it very well.

Lady Gaga – The Primetime Emmy Awards 

 

There really isn’t anything that amazing about this dress. It’s your typical classic black evening dress. What made it such a memorable red carpet moment was who was wearing it. It was truly a jaw dropping moment when the woman who’d once worn a meat dress, showed up at the Emmys looking a classic old-Hollywood star. And she wore it so well.

Review – Superbowl Half-Time Show Featuring Katy Perry

So I am a cliché – the person who really only watches the Superbowl for the half-time shows. A few years ago I would have added the advertisements as well but years of having to watch them for class, to discuss on Monday, has sort of turned me off it (although I admit I do still read the reviews the next day). And so, I really only show up Superbowl Sunday for the half-time show – sorry football fans but unless it’s tennis, I’m pretty much indifferent to most sports.

And this year was no different, although I will say my expectations were fairly low. Full disclosure, I’m not the biggest Katy Perry fan. Don’t get me wrong, she makes some fun, cute and catchy pop music and I even have a few of her hit songs in my iTunes library. However, as a performer, she’s never wowed me. I never watched any of her live performances, award show performances, etc. and thought “OMG that was amazing…” So again, expectations were pretty low but I was willing to give her a chance and was looking forward to seeing what Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliott were going to bring to the performance.

When it was all said and done, I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. It certainly didn’t rank as my favorite (that honor still goes to Prince) but it was a well-staged and fairly well performed performance. And if I had to grade it, I would give it a solid B.  But like I said, it was by no means perfect so here are my pros and cons of the performance.

Pros

1. I thought she sounded very good vocally. Katy Perry, like many of the current female pop superstars, often gets criticized for her limited vocal abilities and accusations of lip-syncing. Now I don’t know if there were parts that were lip-synced last night (there were many times where the backing track was clearly heard which is to be expected) but there were definitely many times that were clearly sung live and I thought she sounded quite good.  So props to her for that.

2. Lenny Kravitz was a welcome and very sexy addition but then again when is he ever not. I liked that he sang “I Kissed A Girl” and rock-ified it a bit. He and Katy performed well together. It was short but sweet.

3. I thought the song choices were wise and that all together, the performance featured a good collection of her hits. They were also paced well, starting with the fiery empowerment of Roar and ending with the uplifting Firework.

4. The visuals and staging were absolutely stunning. The gold mechanical tiger was everything, coupled with the gold balloons floating around, as well as the silver and black chess like piece for Dark Horse. I wasn’t as fond of the Teenage Dream/California Girls staging, however. Particularly, I thought the dancers in goofy shark and large beach ball costumes was a bit cheesy and hokey and yes, the shooting star for Firework totally looked like NBC’s “More You Know” symbol. However, all in all, I thought it was a really good job visually.

Cons

1. I hated her costumes, especially that god awful silver shoes she wore through every single costume change. She looked like she came off the set of The Flintstones in her first outfit, the 50’s beach look for Teenage Dream/California Girls was okay but the shoes were especially distracting there, she was basically wearing a too large, bedazzled sports jersey when Missy came out and then her final dress was okay but once again, the ugly shoes ruined it.

2. Missy Elliot. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Missy, loved every second of her performance and spent all of it wishing for her comeback to hip-hop (please Missy come back and save us from dreck like Iggy Azalea) but she essentially stole Katy’s thunder and made her seem like an afterthought in her own performance. I put this as a con because from Katy’s perspective, I don’t understand allowing another artist that much time in your performance, especially when they tear it up like Missy did.

3. Four costume changes seemed a bit excessive to me for a 13 minute performance. Not even Beyonce did this, hell Beyonce never changed at all and I didn’t think anyone had more costume changes than ‘Yonce. The costume change explained Missy’s prolonged performance, which allowed Katy to get ready for Firework but as noted above, it only took shine off Katy. It also didn’t help that as I noted above, the costumes were all so awful.

4. Finally, Katy Perry is a really, really awful dancer – as in she is almost painful to watch at times. I’ve certainly never thought she was good but it was really on display at times last night, how bad she is, specifically during the part when Missy came out. It was literally comical watching her struggle to try and keep up and emulate the dancers’ moves. Seriously, watch her performance again particularly for this moment. She literally stops and stares at points, trying to do the steps and it just doesn’t work. What was most significant about her lack of dance ability though, was it finally put perfectly into perspective exactly why I’ve never been wowed by her live performances. As a close friend perfectly explained it, Katy uses all the theatrics and visuals to distract from the fact that she is not very engaging on her own on a stage and the reason she isn’t very engaging is because she’s such a rhythm-less performer. She needs all the lights, graphics, staging, dancers, etc. because on her own she is actually quite awkward and uncoordinated. And that’s what makes artists like Rihanna, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, even Madonna more compelling performers than her.

So those were my thoughts. What were yours? And in case you missed the performance or just want to watch it again, check out the link below.